We flew with Delta to JFK on 10 January. We were impressed with the flight - good leg room and the cabin crew were efficient. It was very, very cold on arrival with snow forecast. In fact we learned later that flights were diverted from JFK so we counted ourselves lucky to arrive on time. We stayed for one night at the Hotel Wales on Lower East Side Manhattan. This is a nice, quiet area, very near Central Park and with a good selection of small restaurants. The Hotel Wales is undergoing refurbishment so there are painters and builders around the building, but our room was fine for one night and the breakfast was good (excellent croissants). We ate in a small French bistro, the Cafe du Nord, that evening and the food was authentic French. Next morning before we set off to Port Bayonne we went out for a walk, but it was so cold and icy that we only lasted an hour. We had arranged to be picked up by the air shuttle company who collected us from JFK. Sorry can't remember the name due to jet lag! This was the one and only time we felt ripped off during our holiday. They charged us #130 for a less than 40 minute journey for two of us.

Embarkation - Although fairly organised, we did feel that the whole process was too slow. Obviously with over 3000 passengers to check in and with the accompanying security, things do take longer on a big ship.

Cabin - We had an outside cabin on Deck 2 forward. We were very happy with the size of it and there was plenty of storage due to the good design and use of space. The bathroom was good too. Once we set sail, we were surprised how quiet it was. Only on our one rough day were we aware of the waves crashing into the prow of the ship. Our cabin steward kept it spotlessly clean too. Read more